Smooth out your cellulite

We all have different types of fat in our bodies. Some fat wraps around organs, some wraps around muscles. Other fat lies in thick sheets and yet another type lies just beneath your skin like the fat on a rasher of bacon. This last type of fat is what can turn into cellulite.

Cellulite owes its existence to collagen fibres. These fibres support your skin structure like bed slats under a mattress. They form a mesh, with the skin on one side and the fat on the other. When there’s not enough room for the fat, it starts pressing against the collagen fibres. The more fat that builds up, the more stretched and out of shape the fibres become, until the fat starts to push its way through and around the fibres. You start to see puckering in the skin where the fibres are pulled and lumps and bumps and that’s what we call cellulite.

There is no cure for cellulite. Nothing is known to get rid of it completely, but the good news is that you can eliminate some of it and reduce its appearance.

Here’s what to do: lose some weight, if you need to, and tone up your body. Boosting your circulation helps with just about any body dilemma, including cellulite. Aerobic exercise such as fast walking or jogging – exercise that gets your blood pumping and involves your cellulite-prone areas – will not only help reduce the thickness of fat all over your body but also increase the strength of the collagen by providing a blood supply where you need it most.

You can also eat to boost your collagen production. Some vitamins and essential fatty acids are known to improve collagen production and quality, including vitamin C, vitamin A and omega-3. Lycopene, found in tomatoes, fights off collagenase, an enzyme in your body that destroys collagen, so that’s also a good chemical to have in your anti-cellulite arsenal.

Antioxidants are another way you can protect your collagen fibres. Eat a fresh salad every day loaded with tomatoes, carrots, capsicum, celery, green leaves and avocado, or avocado oil. You’ll also have less fluid retention, which also exacerbates the appearance of cellulite.

Anything you put on your face that encourages collagen growth may also help on your jiggly bits. Consider slapping a face moisturiser with vitamin C and retinol, the commonly used form of vitamin A in skincare, on your cellulite-prone areas. A body moisturiser will also keep the skin well hydrated.

There are many body creams on the market formulated especially for slimming and cellulite reduction and nearly all of them contain caffeine. Caffeine works by reducing fluid retention, so it can make your body slightly leaner, temporarily, but I’m only talking about a centimetre or two difference in circumference. It can’t make you drop a dress size or make your cellulite disappear.

But team it with an anti-ageing cream, regular exercise and a healthy, low-calorie diet and you’ll see the difference sooner rather than later.

Body creams that help skin look and feel smoother

These two creams have all the ingredients to help make skin look smoother, but don’t forget you can combine anti-ageing creams for your face with moisturising body lotions to help strengthen the collagen in your cellulite-prone spots.

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Latest Comments ( 1 )

Does anyone have any advice for exercises to target the front of the thigh (especially the outside-front, just above the knee)? I've got no cellulite on the back of my legs but the whole front thigh is covered and it's especially bad just above my knees. Thanks!

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